Figure out if it’s just a lull or if your career has really hit a rut.

Caroline Zaayer Kaufman

If you feel like you’re doing your job on autopilot,
you’re not alone. In 2015, only 32% of U.S. employees said they were
actively engaged in their jobs, according to a Gallup Poll. For many people, that disengagement is tied closely to a sense that their career development is stagnating.
Please note, however, stagnation isn’t the same as disliking your
job. When you truly hate your gig, you likely feel compelled to do
something about it, says Anna S.E. Lundberg, a London-based career
coach. “On the other hand, it’s those of us who are just plodding along,
not hating our careers but also lacking any real engagement with our
work who are likely to feel stuck and remain in a role or even a career
that has no real future,” she adds. Stagnation, therefore, is far worse
for one’s career since it doesn’t lead to any action.
Whitney Johnson, career coach at Harvard’s Executive Education
program and author of Disrupt Yourself: Putting the Power of Disruptive
Innovation to Work, uses an S-curve to illustrate how the various stages
of a career might look: “At the base of the curve there is slow
growth,” she says. “It takes time to master new information or skills.
At this stage, what may feel like stagnation could in reality be growth,
requiring patience and effort until things get more lively.”
If you can slog through that slow period, she says, you will rapidly
grow and move up until you reach the top of the slope. And that’s when
actual stagnation becomes a real risk to your career. But how do you
know if you’re in the good part of the S or the bad—or, whether what
you’re experiencing is a natural slowdown or an actual career rut? If
you answer “no” to three or more of these five questions, you’re stuck
in the mud.

Are you motivated at work?

Everyone gets bored with work sometimes, but boredom shouldn’t be
your everyday. If it is, your motivation will start to erode. Cue the
career rut. Whether you know it or not, you need motivation to work
hard. Without drive, your career growth is DOA.
If your performance has plateaued, you have no desire to learn
anything new, and you don’t feel compelled to go beyond what’s strictly
necessary to do your job, it’s time to do a little soul-searching to
figure out why, says Marilyn Santiesteban, assistant director of career
services at The Bush School at Texas A&M.
Maybe you’ve been doing the same tasks for too long; maybe you need
to be challenged more. It’s important to figure out why you’re bored
before you can tell truthfully whether you’re in a temporary lull or a
not-so-temporary rut.

Has it been 4+ years since your last promotion?

If you’ve been in your position for that long with no promotion, then
it’s probably not going to come, Johnson says. Management likes you
right where you are.
Of course, it’s frustrating to be repeatedly passed over for steps up
you feel you’ve earned, so you need to figure out why it’s happening.
Perhaps your boss doesn’t know you’re interested in moving ahead, or
maybe you need to learn a new skill or two to climb to the next step on
the ladder. This calls for a frank conversation with the person above
you to find out exactly what it would take to get ahead.
Maybe you’ve reached a ceiling in your organization, or if there’s no
space for you to move up, Johnson says. And if so, hearing it may just
be the call to action you need to move on.

Are you meeting new people at work?

If your company isn’t bringing in any new people and workplace events
are always the “same old, same old,” then it might not just be you
that’s stagnating.
Organizations can also plateau, but when they do, the careers of the
company’s employees usually do also. So, while you can learn quickly in
the right role with such a company, you’ll eventually stall out, as
well, Johnson adds.
Check your organization as a whole for signs of stagnation,
Santiesteban says. Look for flat sales, retooling of existing products
or services rather than creating new ones, executive team members and
senior management that have been around forever, or static or slightly
shrinking market share.

Are your performance reviews exceptional?

If you’re consistently “meeting expectations,” you’re not “growing in your career.”
“Maybe things are not terrible, they’re just OK; fine,” Lundberg
says. “Is that how you want to live your life? Sort of average, things
plodding along but with no passion, no excitement, no real feeling of
fulfillment?”
When everything you do at work is only average, it may be time to
shake things up. Easier said than done: But you’re going to have to go a
little above and beyond if you want to break free from the shackles of
stagnation. Take on a new project, or at least give your next project
your all.

Are you sure you want to stick around?

If you spend your days fantasizing about doing something else,
whether it’s a childhood dream or simply changing companies or fields,
it’s likely a sign that your career isn’t meeting fundamental needs for
you, Lundberg says.
“If you dig into the underlying values behind these fantasies and
plans, you may find what’s missing from your current career,” she says.
“Is it a sense of freedom and independence, the ability to make your own
decisions, an opportunity to learn something new, or is it a question
of earning more or working less?”
If you can answer those questions, you might be able to re-inject
some of those missing elements into your current career, she adds. On
the other hand, if you have a passion you’ve been dreaming of following
for years, then now may be the time to make it a reality.

In a survey, 47 percent of people said that the
meetings they attend are not productive. Don't be the reason for an
unproductive meeting.

Do you occasionally feel like your boss or other colleagues are displeased with your behavior in meetings? The impatient questions directed your way, the sharp glances with eyebrows raised, the attempts to shut you out of the conversation?

If the answer is "yes," chances are, there are things you are
doing--or not doing--in meetings that make you seem unprofessional,
perhaps without your even knowing it. Here are 9 of the most common
behaviors that can make us look unprofessional in meetings.

1. Being late
Routine tardiness shows an inability to respect other people's time,
no matter how well intentioned you may be. Even if you're just five
minutes late, people notice if it happens often. Get in the habit of
arriving at meetings a few minutes early so your team isn't always
waiting for you.

2. Boasting
It's no secret that conceited people often talk the most and do the
least. Employers and employees alike know that. Don't boast in meetings
about accomplishing things before you have actually accomplished them.
In fact, get out of the habit of boasting at all--you'll be more likable, and more professional.

3. Complaining
While it's all right to let the occasional complaint slip out every now and then, nobody likes the person who constantly complains about every assignment they are given. We are get tired and hungry and frustrated, however, we don't have to always vocalize it.

4. Showing off
Asking questions is definitely a good way to get attention. Asking
too many questions--just to show off your knowledge--looks really
unprofessional. Tone down the questions, and you'll give off the
impression that you have it much more together.

5. Looking sloppy

Although meetings can be informal, showing up to one looking like you
just rolled out of bed is not appealing. In fact, showing up to work
looking sloppy every day is not appealing, period.

6. Playing hooky
We all take a day or two off work when we need it--whether it be for
emotional, illness, or personal reasons. Doing this often--and on days
when you know there will be meetings at which you should be
present--reflects poorly on you.

Want to make your introductions more impactful? Stop skipping this one crucial element.

Introductions can be inherently high-pressure and awkward, can't they? No matter how outgoing
and vivacious you consider yourself to be, it can be tough to condense
who you are and what you do into a few crisp, concise, and impactful
sentences.

So, when it comes to shaking hands and introducing yourself to someone new, you likely default to something simple and standard like, "I'm Joe, and I'm the Sales Manager at Company XYZ."
At first glance, it seems effective. It's short, sweet, and it serves
the intended purpose--sharing your name and your job title.
But, look closer and you'll notice that it's missing something
important. While it may seem complete and polished, it's really lacking
one crucial element that helps to take your introductions to the next
level.

What's that? Quite simply, the value that you bring to the table.

Why is sharing value important?

Sure, spitting out your job title is a key part of an introduction,
but it's really only a slice (and, often a somewhat ambiguous slice) of
the whole pie. So, you want to make sure you emphasize not only what you do, but why you do it.
This is important for everyone, but particularly for those of us with
job titles or occupations that don't immediately provide an adequate
picture of what we do day in and day out. For example, when I used to
introduce myself as only a "writer", most people would respond with
something along the lines of, "Oh, so you're writing a book?"
I can understand their assumption. But, this is actually pretty far
from the truth--I've never written a book, and I don't plan to in the
near future.
So, instead of sticking with the tried and true introduction of, "I'm
Kat, and I'm a writer," I've expanded things just a touch to say
something like, "I'm Kat, and I'm a writer who helps businesses and
brands engage their audiences through thoughtful blog posts and
articles."
See the difference? Instead of just firing off a job title, I'm
giving my conversational partner a more specific look at not only what I
do, but also why it's important.

Take a look at some of the biggest productivity killers in today's workplace, according to a new CareerBuilder survey.

Let's be honest - it's impossible not easy to maintain a
laser-like focus in the office for hours at a stretch, especially when
we have to deal with distractions such as cell phones, social media and
noisy co-workers.
More than 8 in 10 workers in the U.S. (83
percent) have smartphones, and the vast majority of them (82 percent)
keep their cell phones nearby while they're working, according to a new
CareerBuilder survey. In fact, 2 in 3 (66 percent) admit to checking
their smartphones a number of times throughout the work day.
They
are spending their time on activities such as personal messaging (65
percent), the weather (51 percent), news (44 percent) while some admit
to using it for shopping (24 percent) and even dating (3 percent).
According to Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder:

While
we need to be connected to devices for work, we're also a click away
from alluring distractions from our personal lives like social media and
various other apps. The connectivity conundrum isn't necessarily a bad
thing, but it needs to be managed.

Take a look at some of the biggest culprits in this handy infographic.
Tweet at @CareerBuilder:
Looking around your workplace, what are the biggest productivity
killers you are noticing? Does your manager do anything to mitigate the
lack of productivity by these distractions?

Much like in-person
networking, online networking has its own rules of etiquette. Consider
the following tips when building your network online.

As you've probably heard by now, professional networking is an
essential skill — some might call it a "necessary evil" — that can help
you further your career. The people you meet through networking can
point you to your next career move, act as references for jobs you're
applying for and mentor you in ways you never thought possible.
But
networking itself tends to get a bad rap. It takes effort to introduce
yourself to new people and the interactions can feel awkward or forced.
They're the blind dates of the working world.
Fortunately, with
the ubiquity of social networking and mobile technology, networking has
changed significantly in recent years. Thanks to LinkedIn, Facebook,
Twitter, Google+ and countless other social networking sites, it's
easier than ever to connect with like-minded professionals and industry
experts — many of whom you may have never met otherwise.
But much
like in-person networking, online networking has its own rules of
etiquette. Consider the following tips when building your network
online.Put the "pro" in profile. When you extend an
invitation to connect, the person will inevitably check out your various
social media profiles. Do the necessary prep work to make your social
media profiles as polished and professional-looking as possible. This
doesn't mean you should scrape your social media profiles of any
personality whatsoever. Just make sure there's nothing on there you
wouldn't want a potential boss to see. Don't be a weirdo.
Perhaps you met at a networking event and want to stay in touch. Maybe
you have a connection in common or work in the same industry. Perhaps
you simply admire this person's work. Whatever the reason you want to
connect, be sure to introduce yourself — or re-introduce yourself, if
the case may be — and include a quick sentence or two explaining why you
want to connect. This may seem obvious, but you would be surprised how
many people send invitations to connect without so much as a simple "Hi,
my name is…" Not only is it lazy to not introduce yourself and your
reason for wanting to connect, it can be borderline creepy.Don't be generic. Copying
and pasting the same tired, impersonal message into your emails or
invitations to connect? You might as well not even bother. Generic
messages are easy to spot and hard to forgive. They give the impression
you're just mass-messaging anyone and everyone to build your network and
are only looking out for yourself.Be patient. U.S. Money writer Ritika Trikha sums up networking perfectly
when she says, "Networking isn't about immediate results. It's about
building mutually beneficial relationships." Be willing and able to put
the time into building your relationships and building trust. What does
that mean? Keep reading...Nurture your network. Show your
online connections some social media love and participate in the
conversation. Start by sharing, liking or commenting on something they
posted online, endorsing them for skills on LinkedIn or mentioning them
in a #FollowFriday tweet, just to name a few tactics. The more you
interact with them online, the more likely they are to reciprocate. Not
only will this increase your visibility — not to mention up your social
media street cred — but it will also help build a rapport and develop
relationships with others outside of social media.Try to connect IRL. Connecting
online is great, but nothing beats meeting face to face when it comes
to growing your relationship. If there's someone you've connected with
online whom you want to get to know better, suggest going to coffee,
lunch or meeting up for happy hour — and be sure to cover the bill. Know when to move on. If
someone is unresponsive, it's okay to follow up once or twice, but
don't hassle the person. No one owes you anything, and trying to pester
someone into connecting with you will only get you blocked. Move on to
the next person who might be more responsive.Pay it forward. Take
advantage of opportunities to help others, unprompted. Is there a job
at your company you know someone would be perfect for? Reach out to them
and offer to be a reference. Helping others isn't just good karma, it
can also pay off later if you ever need a favor of them.

We all know business jargon is obnoxious. Yet, so many of us continue to use (and abuse) annoying buzzwords and clichés.Darlene Price, president of Well Said, Inc., previously told Business Insider that most business language clichés were
once a fresh, creative way of expressing a popular thought or common
idea. "But because of long, excessive use, each phrase has lost its
originality, impact, and even meaning," she said.
Thankfully, "buzzword backlash is growing," says Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert and the author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job."
Here are some of the most common — and annoying — jargony phrases you're using at work, along with commentary from Taylor:

'Break a leg'

It's well-meaning, but trite and needs a reboot. "It's like saying,
'Good luck ... oh, and end up in ER!' How about something more
heartfelt, like, 'Go for it, and hey ... no broken bones,'" says Taylor.

'Open up the kimono'

"The open kimono phrase should be put away once and for all; stored in a distant space capsule, for everyone's sake," she says.